[Necropsy study of the mitral valve according to 5 different echocardiographic planes].

Purpose: To study, in anatomic specimens, the regions of the mitral valve transected by the parasternal long axis, the apical five chamber, the apical four chamber, the apical two chamber and the left ventricle apical long axis echocardiographic views.

Methods: 15 patients' hearts, after fixation through intra-ventricular injection of formalin, were cut according to the five above referred echocardiographic views.

Results: Only the apical five chamber view studied adequately the most anterior regions of both mitral cusps. The apical four chamber and the parasternal long axis views examine the most posterior segments of the mitral valve. Heart sections made according to the apical two chamber view are not adequate to study both cusps on a anatomo-pathologic view. The left ventricle apical long axis is the one which better defines the length of both cusps.

Conclusions: Its necessary to know precisely the regions of the mitral valve sectioned by different longitudinal echocardiographic views in order to visualize through that method localized mitral valve prolapse.